The Accidental Ravenclaw
by Katryn M
Summary: Harry is coming back to another year at familiar old Hogwarts, but sometimes, a new face can change your life. PG13 just in case.
1. Intros

The intro and the introduction  
  
"Drip...drip...drip..." Verlieren listened to the gentle pitter-patter of the rain against the foggy window. It seemed like it was always raining in England, especially when something frightening was on the rise. She could almost still hear her mothers voice in the gentle slapping of the rain against the window.   
  
"Are you sure you're going to be alright, Verlieren? It's an awfully long way away from home." her mother again coaxed gently.  
  
"Mother, how different can it be from Zauberei Magical Arts Academy back in Germany?" Verlieren said for what seemed like the thousandth time. She'd almost convinced herself. But the truth was, it was going to be different, and she knew it. She was having trouble with the concept of being alone in England. Well, she wouldn't be alone, but she would certainly be lonely.   
  
As the only new girl going into the 6th year, Verlieren was not only nervous; she was terrified. Though she was a fairly pretty girl, with long blonde hair and a rosy complexion, she was deathly afraid of being new, and having to make friends. Even at Zauberei she kept primarily to herself, enjoying the company of a few close friends over a crowd. But more than anything, she was afraid to leave her family and the place she new. Germany had always been home to her, the sights and sounds of people bustling about their business on the busy roads, tiny shops along the side roads. Familiar faces rushed through her head so fast she couldn't even see the train car. She racked her brain for memories from home, and there was no shortage of these. Her first day of school, the first time she met her best friend, the memories pounded between her ears so loudly it drowned out the pouring rain.   
  
"Are you sure you're going to be alright, Verlieren? It's an awfully long way away from home." her mother again coaxed gently.  
  
"Mother, how different can it be from Zauberei Magical Arts Academy back in Germany..."  
  
Her tears slowly joined the rain in the gently pitter-patter of noise in the empty back train car. Then, almost as slowly as it had started, her ocean of empty tears faded into a sea of dreams in the dark night. 


	2. Introductions

A friend indeed  
  
******(A/N: I'm going to be posting a lot today, because I wrote about 6 chapters of this ages ago, so here's another one. Enjoy and please review.)*****  
  
She awoke with a start to the slam of the door and the sound of booming laughter. Her spirits lightened at the joyful sound. It seemed almost familiar, like the resounding laugh of her brother. Drying her eyes slightly on the pillow, she raised her head to see the source of the pleasant commotion. Looking up, she saw a boy about her age with shaggy red hair and a mass of freckles so thick that he might have appeared tan. Standing to his right with her hand gently resting on his shoulder trying to calm herself down from her fit of laughter was a girl with long, thick, wavy brown hair and sparkling brown eyes, and next to them both was a slightly more subdued tall lanky boy with unkempt black hair that hid his forehead, round lensed glasses that almost hid his brilliant green eyes, that were smiling even though it looked almost painful for him.   
  
The three, noticing her in the back of the cab stopped laughing and turned to face her.   
  
"Oh, sorry, I didn't think anyone was here, seeing as we usually sit back here, and no one else usually bothers with us," said the tall red headed boy. Feeling unwanted and lower than ever, Verlieren began to pick up her things and leave, when the lanky dark haired green-eyed boy spoke up.  
  
"No, wait, he didn't mean you had to leave, he just meant we weren't expecting anyone to be here, that's all. You can stay. My name is Harry." he smiled gently at her sitting on the coach, and she returned the smile shyly, "These are my friends, Ron Weasely, and Hermoine Granger. And who are you? You definitely don't look familiar."  
  
"M-my name is um...V-Verlieren." she responded slowly, trying not to stumble too much over her words, or make it too obvious by her accent that she wasn't one of them.   
  
"Yeah, okay." said Harry, obviously at a loss for words at the un-talkative guest. Surely she hadn't expected him to initiate all the conversation, his face almost seemed to say. Ron whispered something in his ear that sounded remarkably like, "That girl's loony! And she doesn't even know who you are! SURELY she's heard of you, the whole wizarding world does." and in response, Harry hissed a little loudly, "Maybe she's just shy!"   
  
"So, uh, what brings you to Hogwarts?" Harry tried again, "I haven't seen you around. Are you new?"   
  
Verlieren nodded her head slowly. "J-Yes," she said, in an accent a little more German than she had intended, " I am new to Hogwarts. This will be my first year here. I shall be a sixth year."  
  
"Us too. It's not so bad here, really, it's a lot better than home but watch out for Snape." Harry replied, happy to have more than a "yes" to base his conversation on. Thinking for a moment, he added suddenly, "Wait a minute; how can you be a new 6th year?" Verlieren had really not wanted to answer this question. She didn't want to talk about her past...not now. But she couldn't just lie, or ignore him, so she reluctantly chose to reply.   
  
"My father is an auror. He wanted to help Dumbledore fight Voldemort, so we moved to London, and I am going to take the place of a girl who is leaving because her dad is starting a gossip magazine in Germany. It seams it didn't sell very well over here..." she didn't really want to elaborate, but the trio clamored for more information. Still trying to fight her strong accent, she slowly added, "I went to Zauberei Magical arts Academy in Germany, that's where me and my family are from."   
  
"That's wicked!" Ron exclaimed, "Do you get to eat sausages like all the time?!" Hermoine jabbed him hard in the ribs with her elbow.  
  
"It's called BRAWTWURST Ron, and just because it's German food does NOT mean she eats sausage all the time! Ugh!" Hermoine scolded in a know-it-all way. Ron just rolled his eyes and turned back to Verlieren, as if still expecting an answer.   
  
"Yes, I suppose, we eat food in Germany. I like Reuben Sandwiches and Sauerkraut better though." She responded with a slight shrug.  
  
"Oooh! Oooh!" Ron interrupted, "What do you call a German hippie! Give up? FLOWER KRAUT!" he burst into a fit of giggles, turning bright red, while Hermoine turned and glared at him, whispering that he was being very insensitive, "just like a man." Ron smiled his best smooth smile, and said, "Do you think I'm...manly Hermoine? Do you want me?"  
  
"That is so not funny Ron," she said, jabbing him in the side with her elbow, "I am definitely not in the mood. I apologize in advance for anything emotionally scarring Ron says to you."  
  
"No, it's ok. Verlieren said, fighting back giggles, "He reminds me of my brother." She felt a rush of intense pain. She remembered it. Bright lights, a loud boom, and someone screaming. She hoped it wasn't too late.  
  
She was brought suddenly back to reality by an announcement that they would be arriving in Hogwarts in a matter of minutes. Packing her tear soaked and mascara stained pillow into her bag, she zipped the striped bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder.  
  
"Nice meeting you," said Harry, lifting himself from the seat.   
  
"Yes, nice seeing you also." Verlieren replied softly.  
  
"Maybe I'll see you around, I'm in Gryffindor, so you never know."   
  
"I suppose so." She smiled gently, getting up and exiting through the small door. So she was here, and so was Harry. 


	3. How to Persuade a Hat

*********************************************************************  
  
Persuading a Hat  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Looking up, she was amazed and almost excited about the new place all of a sudden. The gray-black skies thundered and roared with magnificent century old stone castles climbing the clouds into the wild skies. A great willow tree thrashed about in the wind next to a vast crystal blue lake that looked nearly as deep as the ocean. Somehow, the unexplainable almost infinite depth reminded her of Harry. Yes, she got so caught up she had trouble deciding which had been first, they both seemed do absolute; surely one could not have existed without the other.   
  
She was snapped back to the present by someone tugging on the shoulder of her robes and hustling her into a carriage drawn by a great black horse with leathery wings and skeletal frame. Hardly noticing anyone in her carriage, she stared at the sky; it was still raining as heavily as ever with as much resolve as it had ever had. It seemed like it was always raining in England, especially when something frightening was on the rise...  
  
Looking around her carriage, Verlieren saw 3 students who looked only a little bit younger than her. One was a thin girl with long red hair and freckles, looking at her was like looking at the female version of Ron, "this must be his sister," Verlieren thought to herself, huddled in the corner of the carriage listening to the gentle sounds of the rain. The small boy sitting next to her had gleaming white blonde hair and was fiddling with a camera in his lap, removing and replacing the lens cap, and reviewing the pictures he had already taken. Sitting next to her was a stout boy who seemed to be almost exactly her age. In his lap was a large green toad that made loud croaking noises as it hopped around, while the boy struggled to keep him in his pocket. He attempted multiple times to keep the toad in his pocket, repeating, "Come on, Trevor! Back in my pocket!" but his efforts were to no avail.   
  
As the carriage bumped along the road, the three other students laughed and talked amongst themselves as the boy with the large camera took pictures of his friends while they chatted and giggled in the small space. The light haired boy suddenly turned his attention to Verlieren sitting still and quiet in the carriage,   
  
"Who are you? My name's Colin Creevy! I don't know you, and I know everyone. I know Harry Potter! It's true…" he said continuing to rattle on and on. Assuming that he was going to continue to talk with or without her adding to the conversation, she slowly replied.  
  
"Yeah..." She said softly and sleepily. She began to let herself slip back into dreamland, when the boy rather rudely interrupted, "So what's your name?" Verlieren was getting rather annoyed with the boy, and said half heartedly without even turning her head to face the boy, "Verlieren." She continued to look out the window, watching the raindrops slap the paved road pooling into great puddles as the great mysterious skeletal horses pulled through the water. Their leathery bat-like wings beat in great circular motions trying to shield themselves from the rain, and the little rain that reached their skin went slowly from bone to bone over the gaps and ridges of the horses tightly stretched skin.  
  
"Hey Varlarn!" Turning her head quickly, she saw a bright flash in her face, and snapped her head back. The boy giggled a high-pitched laugh as she saw that he had just taken a picture of her with his large Polaroid camera.   
  
"Colin! Be nice!" the girl she had taken to be Ron's sister said rolling her eyes, "You're scaring off all the new kids! Hi I'm Ginny. What brings you to Hogwarts? You don't look like a first year to me, but you look far too young to be a teacher."  
  
"I moved hear from Germany because my father is an auror. I used to go to Zauberi Magical Arts Academy in Germany; I am a 6th year. It was not really a choice…everyone thought new atmosphere would be good for me, and my dad wanted to help Dumbledore fight the Todeesser…" this last part she added slowly and in more of a whisper. She felt that it needed to be said, but wanted no one to hear it.   
  
"What?" Ginny looked confused.  
  
"Todeesser, I think you call them…Dead eaters?"  
  
"Oh, Cool." Ginny said enthusiastically, "How are they going to accommodate you, I mean, we have only a certain amount of people accepted to the school each year."  
  
"Oh, right, there was some girl…I don't remember who, her father moved to Germany to start a gossip magazine. She took my spot back at Zauberi, and I'm taking her place at Hogwarts."  
  
"Do you have any idea who you switched with?" Ginny asked, still curious. Verlieren nodded, and picked up her bag, shuffling through her papers in a disorganized fashion, putting them back into a rather unkempt pile. She pulled out a copy of "Hogwarts, eine Geschichte" and took out a piece of paper folded in between pages 345 and 346.   
  
"Here it is," she said, beginning to read over the paper, "Luna Lovegood, Ravenclaw, 5th year."  
  
"How is that going to work?" Ginny asked her.  
  
"I'm sure I'll be taking my own classes, and I'll be in my own house, but otherwise, my accommodations will be what was meant for her." Verlieren shrugged, not thinking much of it. Surely it didn't matter whom you switched with, things would be based on your grade level and such, and they would certainly not put you in the younger classes.   
  
Chatting in little bits with Ginny about how weird she found the transfer policy, Verlieren slowly made her way up to the castle, and was immediately confronted by the problem of where to sit. Not being a first year and not having a house was a bit of a problem in the seating arrangement. She looked around and found Harry and his friends laughing and talking to other Gryffindors, and an open seat right next to him. She pivoted around to sit in the empty space, when a tall witch with red hair in a tight bun and small spectacles lead her by the shoulder to a seat near a gray old wizard whom she presumed to Dumbledore's, rather than with the other students. As the rain drenched first years processed into the great open room with a large animated ceiling that displayed the rain pouring outside, Dumbledore rose to address the crowd.  
  
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Now Proffessor Filch wished to remind you that some 567-odd items have been added to the list of things not allowed at Hogwarts. Also, a resounding 96% of these items are made by none other than Weasely's Wizard Wheezes, owned and operated by very recently former Hogwarts students, Fred and George Weasely. Brilliant really, those two. Excellent work. I myself accidently got my hands on a "ton tongue toffee" and it was quite a misshap, I must say." The witch with graying red hair and tiny spectacles cleared her throat loudly. "But perhaps now is not the time. On another note, for the first time since 1834, Hogwarts has a new student from Zauberi Magical Arts Academy in Germany. The student we will be hosting this year is Verlieren Albrecht, who will be joining the 6th year class as a new member of our community. As part of the Hogwarts community, she will be sorted first. No let the sorting, commence!" As he finished the speech, all eyes turned to an old graying hat sitting on a stool. Then, the hat opened up at a great stitch in the middle, and began to sing!  
  
"In olden days when I was knew  
  
I was made to talk to you  
  
And sort you into houses   
  
Where prospective fortune waits for you  
  
And though I've done it faithfully  
  
Some people start to question me  
  
For I'm a hat, only that,  
  
What wisdom can I show to thee?  
  
  
  
I have a look inside your brain  
  
See what you want and if you're sain  
  
I measure your ambition  
  
And other things again  
  
Now who am I? A hat  
  
The point of me was only that  
  
Till Wizards saw a need for me  
  
And gave me a brain so I could see  
  
So slip me on your head, my dear  
  
I'll tell you what you need to hear  
  
I'll do my best, so have no fear  
  
Lets start with our new 6th year."  
  
  
  
"A bit short this year." She heard someone from behind her say.   
  
"First to be sorted is this year's new 6th year student, Verlieren Albrecht.  
  
Then, the witch with her hair in a tight bun lifted Verlieren from her chair and led her by the shoulder to the stool. Standing in front of the large crowd, her heart started pounding. She had no idea what to do, and no one was about to show her. Taking her cues from someone in the audience, she picked up the hat, sat on the stool, and put the graying hat on her head.   
  
"Hmm…yes…I see a lot of sadness in here, and pain that you don't want to let go of. What's this? A bit of a loner, very studious, hmm…maybe you would be best in Ravenclaw…. yes…."  
  
"No, I wouldn't! I'm not that smart! You'd be making a grand mistake!" She interjected to the contemplative hat.  
  
"Oh really? Well if you don't like my ideas, where do YOU think you belong?" said the hat, frustrated.   
  
"Gryffindor." She added in a whisper. "I want to be in Gryffindor."  
  
"Well, I do see a lot of initiative, but it seams you've been very afraid for almost a year now."  
  
She felt a rush of rage, "That fear was hardly unreasonable! Surely you must admit, I do have a pretty good track record."  
  
Investigating her brain further, the sorted hat conceded, "Well, I think your temper should put you in Slytherin!"  
  
"NO! Not Slytherin! Anything but Slytherin! I can't be in Slytherin! If you put me in Slytherin, I'll…. I'll….turn you into a toad!"  
  
"Spoken like a true Gryffindor. Or Slytherin." The hat responded with a chuckle.  
  
"Please put me in Gryffindor." She pleaded.  
  
"What do you want to be in Gryffindor for, Ravenclaw is a lovely house, really."  
  
"None of your affair." She said looking at Harry, trying to catch his glance.  
  
"Oh, I see." The hat smirked.   
  
"You do not." She said, blushing furiously.  
  
"You'd be wonderful company to the Gryffindor girls." He gave a small laugh, "Well, I guess it's settled….GRYFFINDOR!" Yelled the hat to the on looking crowd.  
  
"Yes!" she thought. She walked slowly to take her seat at the Gryffindor table, with one open seat…the seat next to Harry. 


	4. Butterbeer: Good for the Soul

**********************************************************************  
  
Butterbeer: Good for the soul  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
(A/N: No I don't condone underage drinking, that's not what it means)   
  
As the sorting ended with, "Zacherby, Albert….Hufflepuff!" and the dinner began, Verlieren sat shy in her chair, eating a dinner of kidney pies, butter beer, pumpkin juice and great bowls of scalloped potatoes.   
  
Harry, noticing her sitting next to him for the first time, said, "Oh, hi. So you're in Gryffindor, I guess?"  
  
"Yes, I am. The hat had a little trouble but it finally decide it thought that would be the best for me to be in Gryffindor." She replied, leaving out that, had she not pleaded to be in Gryffindor, she would most likely be in Ravenclaw now, sipping her butter beer around perfect strangers.   
  
"That's cool. Will you be going out for the quidditch team?" Harry asked, as Hermoine rolled her eyes muttering, "sports, sports, sports, that's all you boys care about isn't it," more to Ron and herself than to Harry. Verlieren hadn't thought of that, she had never really played much Quidditch, just watched it from time to time.   
  
"I don't know, maybe. Oh, I almost tried out for it last year at Zauberi, but I decided not to, after all, I have no experience," she replied, reaching for another butter beer.   
  
"What were you going to go out for?" Harry asked, sounding very interested.  
  
"Seeker. I have, what you might call a knack for catching things." She took another swig of the butter beer after finishing.   
  
"Really? I'm the seeker for Gryffindor, or, well, I was until UMBRIDGE," Harry and Ron made the most awful face they could muster, "Kicked me off, and now Ginny, Ron's sister, is seeker, but she's going to try out for chaser, so my spot will be back now, won't it. And Ron, he's the keeper."  
  
"Really, I've never been much of a sports fan, but I did go to the world cup 2 years ago, I was rather disappointed that the Bulgarian team didn't win. Truthfully, they have not won since 1865, but they will go all the way this year, just you wait."  
  
"I don't know, the Wales Wasps are doing awfully well this year, I think that they might get in."  
  
"Ph! Have you seen their stats? Not a chance." Verlieren reached for what must have been her 4th or 5th butter beer, she had lost track.   
  
The two talked for what seemed like hours as the hall cleared out around them, just the two of them talking together. It was past two in the morning, and Ron and Hermoine had gone up to bed long ago, leaving the two to talk without them. As they sat together, Verlieren, colored by 7 or 8 butter beers, opened up to Harry as they laughed and chatted animatedly. Verlieren had never been so loquacious in her life, and her she was, shooting the breeze with someone who, not only had she just met, but was attracted too. Sitting close, Verlieren and Harry leaned on each other to keep from falling asleep.   
  
"So what's your favorite color?" Verlieren asked Harry, swinging her legs out in front of her with her hand resting gently on Harry's.   
  
"Hmm…" he contemplated, but only for a moment, "I'd have to say green."  
  
"Like your eyes." Verlieren responded, wistfully.  
  
"My eyes?"  
  
"Yeah, your eyes."  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"Well they're green, aren't they?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess…." He trailed off into a half whisper, "They're like my mum's."  
  
"Is she pretty?" Verlieren said, imagining her own mother in her head, she had seen her only hours ago, but the picture seemed difficult.  
  
"I dunno," He replied uncomfortably, "I think so, I've seen pictures of her, but I've never met her, not since I was a baby."  
  
"Really? Why not? Do you live with your dad or something?"  
  
"No…She died. And so did my dad. Voldemort…he…killed them when I was a baby." He started to look like his eyes were swelling just a little; she had obviously touched on a sensitive subject without realizing it. "He tried to kill me too…. but it didn't work, it backfired onto him."  
  
"OH! THAT'S who you are, you're Harry Potter, the baby who killed the dark lord. I'm sorry about your parents. I know how you feel…sort of." she said, dropping off. She really had no desire to stretch the subject.   
  
"Yah, so…you glad you came to Hogwarts?" Harry asked after the uncomfortable silence had passed.  
  
"I am now." She replied with a meaningful glance in Harry's direction. He smiled shyly at her. Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps from down the hall and the light of a lamp reflected in the stone floor.   
  
"That's Filch, if he catches us, we're dead. Quick, under my invisibility cloak!" Harry said, taking charge like it was an instinct in a half whisper. He grabbed the cloak quickly out of his book bag, which Verlieren found particularly strange. She lifted the cloak over herself and Harry crawled under it. As soon as they'd covered themselves, the sneering Filch turned the corner into the seemingly empty hall, and muttered softly but angrily, "Lousy Poltergeist…can't believe Dumbledore still keeps him around, breaking every rule on the list, he is." When Filch left, the two immediately made for the Gryffindor common room, running quickly up the stairs, which shifted direction at least three times before deciding on the floor that lead to the common room.   
  
At last the two set foot at the portrait of a large sleeping woman, who snored loudly in her frame, while they were still covered by the invisibility cloak. The two stood there in silence for quite a while, as if deciding whether or not to wake her up. A cold gust filled the room, and Verlieren began to shiver. Drawing her closer under the cloak, he protected her from the chill.  
  
Pulling the cloak from their heads, the two decided to gently wake the fat lady by tapping her frame.   
  
"Yes, yes, and why are you two up so late? It's 3 o' clock in the morning! If you'd been caught, do you know what would have happened? There'd be hell to pay, that's what! Why, I never in all my years…"  
  
"Facta non verba!" Harry interrupted.  
  
"Very well," she said, rolling her eyes. The portrait swung open revealing the Gryffindor common room. As Harry walked her to the entrance to the girl's dormitory, he put his arm on her shoulder.   
  
"Well, Goodnight." He whispered.  
  
"Goodnight." She cooed. Looking intently into his eyes, she drew her face closer to his, as he lowered his head. Putting her arms around his neck, she gently drew his head in, and kissed him. As she raised her head back, he pulled it back in, and kissed her gently. Holding her around the waist, Harry and Verlieren stood on the steps to the girl's dormitory silently, sharing the crackle of the fire.   
  
Hearing someone stirring in the other room, Verlieren said, "I think I had better go. Goodnight Harry."  
  
"Goodnight, Verlieren." I'll see you tomorrow.  
  
"Yes you will. See you then."  
  
"Night." He said, as she turned her head and tiptoed softly up the stairs. Finding all the beds in the dormitory occupied, she laid to rest on a couch with a great fur blanket next to the fireplace, as the fire popped and roasted the cedar. Tonight was the best night she could ever remember having, at least in a long time. Laying her head down, she fell almost immediately to sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day, but with Harry, it seemed almost effortlessly bearable.  
  
A flash of bright light, someone was screaming. She couldn't hear what they were saying. She had to get there before it was too late. What's wrong? She heard the screams again. "Help!" She was close enough to hear it now. Help! Someone! Come quickly! It's Burke…"  
  
"NO!" shouted Verlieren as she awoke with in a cold sweat on the floor of the girls dormitory. The other girls stirred at the loud shout.   
  
"What in blazes is going on!" said a rather pretty girl with blonde collarbone sweeping hair, twisted and tangled from a long night's sleep. Another girl picked up her pillow and put it over her head, which was bedecked with brilliant dark brown hair. Hermoine's bushy head lifted from her pillow, as she too looked to see what the commotion was.  
  
"Oh, it's just you Verlieren. What's wrong?" asked Hermoine in a genuinely sensitive tone.  
  
"Oh, Nothing. Just a bad dream is all. Sorry to wake you, I didn't mean to or anything. I've just had a nightmare." She responded pulling her own hair back into a ponytail, and resettling herself on the couch.   
  
"Well, if you're sure you're ok over there." Hermoine said gently, lowering her head slightly.  
  
"I'm sure. Go back to bed." Said Verlieren. It had only been a dream after all. Well, sort of.  
  
"Ok, goodnight." Hermoine slowly laid her head back onto the pillow, and went back to sleep immediately. Verlieren, however, could not sleep, and she knew it wasn't just the butterbeers. She didn't want to dream. She couldn't keep herself from dreaming about it. Reliving it step by step. It haunted her. Chasing her, why wouldn't it let her put her life behind her? Move on? But every night like clockwork, it was there, haunting her dreams. She couldn't forget, not as long as it couldn't forget her. It was raining, it seemed like it was always raining in England, especially when something frightening was on the rise... 


	5. A Conversation and an Overheard Conversa...

A Conversation and an Overheard Conversation  
  
*********************************************************  
  
(A/N: Thanks for reading, people! You'll find out what her deal is eventually, I promise. I also promise it's not plain old Mary Sue, Harry's secret cousin or Mary Sue, heir of SLytherin/Gryffindor, or anything.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
She never went back to sleep that night, staying awake, though difficult, kept her from being there. She never wanted to be there again, but it was like it was a part of her that wouldn't let go. She could still hear the screaming pounding in her ears every time she tried to sleep. The resounding boom filled her head, leaving no room for any logical thought whatsoever, and sleep was out of the question, even when it was a wanted guest. But then, when she lost all hope, she thought of Harry. How silly he looked with his hair smashed under the blanket, how green his eyes were. They were his mother's eyes. The funny way his hair covered his forehead. Everything about him was incomprehensibly wonderful. It made her giddy to even think about him. He and she were so much alike, a sad past that they can't change and had nothing to do with, and way of coping with them…by not coping at all. Ignoring the problem, because they could do nothing to fix it.   
  
Before the other girls had awoken, though she had gotten very little sleep, Verlieren dressed, prepared, and quickly went down to breakfast. Spying around the room, hardly a soul was in sight, save 3 hufflepuffs and a handful of Ravenclaws. Sitting down to eat, she looked at her schedule.   
  
1st period: Care Of Magical Creatures   
  
Rubeus Hagris  
  
Location: The front lawn  
  
2nd period: Potions  
  
Severus Snape  
  
Location: The dungeons  
  
3rd period: Divination  
  
TBA  
  
Location: Room 567 OR North Tower  
  
4th period: Transfiguration  
  
Minerva McGonnagal  
  
Location: Room 451  
  
LUNCH  
  
"Pretty good morning for the first day…" she thought to herself. But she could hardly keep her mind on her studies at all, her brain had settled on the subject of Harry, and was very stubborn about it all. The night before filled her mind, as she sat in the almost entirely empty dining hall sipping her raspberry tea and doling out entirely too much sugar without thinking. Every sound was Harry, everyone who slowly filled the hall was Harry, and she was certain that that was Harry's reflection in her coffee, or the scrupulously cleaned and waxed floor. It was like an addiction, though she was almost entirely sure that there was no Harry Potter Addicts Anonymous. It felt like love, she thought, but how could it be? One fabulous evening and one beautiful kiss could not render such a feeling of overpowering love, but what else could it be? Everything around her made her think of him, and she constantly checked the doorway to see if his lean shadow darkened the polished stone floor. At half past 7, he, Ron and Hermoine slowly trod down the stairs to the hall. Having entered the room, Harry took a brief glance around the room, and their eyes locked. Verlieren and Harry looked intently at each other for quite a while, until Harry grinned sheepishly at her and looked fixedly at his own brown shoes. She grinned at him, but turned back to her tea at the Gryffindor table, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he'd come to sit with her. Instead, Harry sat within what was barely speaking distance, embarrassed, she assumed, to sit next to her with his friends looking on, and perhaps worrying about a flood of questions. But the fantasy that Harry might have been having didn't last long, for Ron, looking down the table at all the other Gryffindors, spied Verlieren a few places down. She listened in as Ron began to question Harry.  
  
"So, I never got around to asking you, what happened with you and that girl last night? Var…um…Var…Varluin?" Ron asked with a smirk.  
  
"Verlieren," Harry corrected, "We just kind of hung out and um…talked about things…" He shuffled his feet, perhaps he often did that when he was trying to conceal something.   
  
"Right Harry, out till three in the morning with a pretty girl and you just talked about things? I wasn't born yesterday Harry. I suppose you want me to believe that you were discussing books and literature, were you?  
  
"What's wrong with that?" Hermoine interjected indignantly.   
  
"Nothing if you're a relationship challenged git with a million IQ," Ron replied slyly as Hermoine rolled her eyes, "What did you do REALLY? I saw how late you came back in. I think it might just be a record."  
  
"Really…it was no big deal." Harry said, avoiding eye contact with his interrogator.   
  
"You kissed her, didn't you?" Ron said with a half grin.  
  
"Ron!" Hermoine scolded.  
  
"Umm…. well… sort of…" Harry replied with a nervous smile, "But she kissed me first."  
  
"2 points for Harry Potter!" Ron yelled altogether a little too loudly, making movements like he was shooting the quaffle through one of the rings, and made it twice, "How was it? What was she like?"  
  
"Fine, I guess…"  
  
"Fine I guess? That's quite a descriptive answer, thanks for sharing."  
  
"Ok…" Harry said lowering his voice to a whisper, "it was great."  
  
"Well aren't you going to ask her out then?"  
  
"I dunno, I hadn't really thought of that."  
  
"You hadn't really thought of that? Ph, you are rather clueless aren't you? Well, if you kiss a girl, that makes it a date, and that date makes her someone who might in the future be your girlfriend. She'll be expecting it."  
  
"Are girls always this confusing?" Harry sighed.  
  
"'Fraid so mate." Ron replied knowingly.  
  
"Ugh…" Harry's head hit the table with a loud thump, "but how do you know about girls? You haven't had a date in your life."  
  
"Hey! I had that date with Padma Patil to the Yule Ball!"  
  
"Yeah, because Parvati set you up!"  
  
"Hey! I've had plenty of girls, sort of… and you forget, I have a mom, a dad, 5 brothers and a sister, you'd think I'd have some girl knowledge to show for it."  
  
"I guess."  
  
"You don't guess, you know!"  
  
"You boys are being ridiculous!" Hermoine interjected, "I wouldn't expect to be asked out just because I spent a few hours with a guy and kissed him after a few too many butter beers!"  
  
"Yeah? And when has that ever happened?" Ron retorted.   
  
"How about with Victor Krum!" Hermoine shouted, and then blushed profusely as Ron scowled.  
  
"You're not still corresponding with that git, are you?"  
  
"So what if I am?" she yelled.   
  
"Well, maybe I have a problem with you dating a git!"  
  
"He is NOT a git, and I'm not dating him! I just talk to him…and visit occasionally."  
  
"Oh! This is rich, you just like him because he's famous, don't you Hermoine?"  
  
"You know that's not true! You're just jealous! That's right, JEALOUS!"  
  
"That's ridiculous! I'm not jealous of you OR Krum! You're being stupid!" But Verlieren got the feeling that he was lying. She thought Ron did like Hermoine, and that he was just jealous of Krum. She looked at Harry, slumped in his chair gazing blankly at the back wall as his friends argued about Hermoine's love life. Again. She wanted nothing more than to go over and touch him on the shoulder and make everything better, but she couldn't do it.   
  
Watching him sit in silence for what seemed like hours, she slowly rose to say hello. Just as she had taken a step in his direction, the woman with her hair in a tight bun that she had come to know as Professor McGonnagal ran up to her.   
  
"Ms. Albrecht, there you are. I've been told to inform you that you that we're going to have to move you into Ravenclaw, because the student whose place you took was a Ravenclaw, and there's only room enough for you in Ravenclaw house." She said quickly and with little feeling. Verlieren's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
"What? But…but… I've just got settled! And…and all my friends are in Gryffindor!" she stuttered.  
  
"I'm sorry, I can see why you wouldn't want to leave Gryffindor," she stiffened up in a prideful way, "but there's nothing I can do. You can move your things after school or during lunch if you like. After school, we'll take the necessary measures."  
  
"What necessary measures?" Verlieren asked, daunted.   
  
"Oh, we'll have to switch your robes and your Gryffindor things. We'll also be giving you a new schedule, those were your classes with the Gryffindors."  
  
"I would have been with all the Gryffindors?  
  
"Yes, the Gryffindors and another house." McGonnagal replied, someone perturbed by the stream of questions, but trying her best to understand.   
  
"Oh…ok. Well, what do I do for today?"  
  
"You can take your classes with the Gryffindors, but we'll have a schedule drawn out for you by this afternoon."  
  
"Oh, thanks." But she couldn't have been any less thankful if she tried. She wouldn't be with Harry anymore; she'd be with the house she'd so narrowly escaped. She didn't know anyone in Ravenclaw, but what could she do? She'd just have to keep breathing. 


	6. First Class Fractures

First Class Fractures  
-------------------------------------------------  
Still don't own JK Rowling, Enron, Elron, Elmo, or anything. Just assume I don't own it, but also, assume that, neither do you and therefore, YOU CAN'T USE IT GRR RAR! Sorry, Ok I'm done.  
-------------------------------------------------  
Verlieren's eyes produced a steady stream of tears all through breakfast. Afraid to be seen with her visage red and swollen, she grabbed a muffin and sat on the lawn, listening to the sound of her tears hitting the green grass and the birds chirping softly in the tall trees, oblivious to her presence. She ate only a few bites of the muffin, which was diluted by the salt of her tears, losing interest quickly and laying her head against the tree's soft bark. Having gotten almost no sleep the night before, she shut her eyes for only a moment to rest, and immediately fell asleep from utter exhaustion. She was met by a short but dreamless sleep, which couldn't have been welcomer.   
  
Almost an hour later, Verlieren awoke with a start to realize that she was almost 10 minutes late to her first class, "Care of Magical Creatures." Running to what were presumably the front lawns, she ran to a cabin with people huddled around it, panting for breath. Trying to look inconspicuous behind a group of interested students, Verlieren scammed the crowd for Harry, but neither hide nor hair could be seen. Other Ravenclaws surrounded her, and a second group she thought were the rest of the Gryffindors. Crouching a bit behind a group of giggling girls, she listened intently to the instructor, a man of gigantic size and towering stature, spoke about the animal in front of them.   
  
"Fer the next few months er so, we'll be learning about the hippocampus. Not too much is known about 'em, so I was thinking I'd bring some in so we could figure it out a bit about em ourselves and write a paper about 'em when we're through, just to make sure you're paying attention." The large man said with a mirthful chuckle. Verlieren thought that the man didn't seem very scary at all, though his large build left her a bit intimidated. "The Hippocampus is a large sea creature with the fore end of a horse, and the back end of a fish." He explained, pointing to a huge tank containing 3 such creatures. Verlieren thought they were beautiful immediately, like the unicorns of the sea. "I was thinking about doin' a unit on Horse like creatures this year, but it turns out we aren't allowed to bring in bicorns because they eat human flesh." Verlieren let out an involuntary shudder. Anyone who would want to bring a bicorn into a school was either completely insane, or had an affinity for violence. Either that or a death wish. She blocked the thought of having her flesh eaten from her memory, and turned her focus to the Hippocampus once again. It looked so sad. Maybe because it wasn't free. She wasn't free either, though. She had locked herself up in her own little mind prison, but she locked the door and swallowed the key.   
  
After the man had finished his short spiel about the beautiful creatures, she turned to them and watched 2 of them dance around frantically as if still trying to escape. Then there was the third, still sitting sadly at the bottom of her aquatic prison. Verlieren pressed her nose against the glass, watching them in amusement. She wanted the glass to just disappear, and to ride away into the open ocean, where all her cares and worries would seem insignificant. To climb up its scaly mane and rush through the water to greener pastures in the icy depths.   
  
Snapping back to reality, Verlieren looked at the encapsulated equines, and realized that the poor creatures must be starving, as there appeared to be no food in their tank. Grabbing what remained of her muffin, which seemed quite a lot, she took it upon herself to feed the creatures, especially the small one, who, had they been given any food, would not have had the strength to fight of the other two for his share of the meal. Looking around for a way up, Verlieren noticed a narrow ladder on the side of the tank. Wondering a moment how the huge Professor Rubeus Hagrid would be able to climb it, she came to the conclusion that perhaps, a man of such magnitude would have no need for such a ladder. After a short climb, Verlieren reached the top of the tank, and sat on the edge, shoes skimming the water. Grabbing the crumbling muffin out of her coat pocket, Verlieren dangled her hand in the water, waiting for one of the Hippocampi to come after her treat. One of them stirred. She lowered her hand a bit into the water, leaning forward as the great horse bound up for the top. Leaning as far as she could to reach him, arm submerged in the chilly water, the horse took a great bite of her breakfast, and turned around sharply, creating a great splash that spread almost 10 feet in diameter. Verlieren was so surprised by the sudden gust of icy water that she teetered on her seat, and fell into the frosty waters.   
  
Having never realized just how cold the water was when her hand was dangling in the water, she went into immediate cold shock the moment her head touched the surface. As she slowly sank to the bottom of the tank, many students turned to watch in shock and amusement. Professor Rubeus Hagrid, turning to see what all the commotion was about, saw Verlieren floating in the tank, soaked and sinking to the bottom of the almost 7 meter tall tank. He ran with long strides to the tank, and, putting his foot on the 3rd step, which caused it to sag under his immense weight, climbed over the top and pulled Verlieren out of the water. Coughing, sputtering and shivering violently, Verlieren sat on the grass, dripping in her now drenched uniform, as Hagrid ran inside his cabin to fetch a towel. He brought out a great, wooly one she assumed might have been large enough to wrap a baby killer whale 3 times around.   
  
"What happened? What d'ya think you were doin?" Hagrid spirted, as the other students slowly began to resume normal activities.   
  
"I…I…I…" She said, trembling anxiously, but trying to get words out between shakes, "I was j-j-j-just t-t-trying to g-give him s-s-some of m-m-m-my muffin."  
  
"You can't just feed 'em anything! You've got to be specially trained to handle with Hippocampuses! You can't just mess with 'em all whilly nilly like! They're delicate creatures!" He said, forcefully.   
  
Tears welled up in Verlieren's eyes and she tried to look at her feet, which were also sopping wet.   
  
"There, there now, I didn't mean to make you cry, you just have to be careful around magical creatures.   
  
Verlieren knew absolutely NOTHING about magical creatures, though she HAD had a puppy at one time. She shivered in the cold with despite the warmth of the itchy towel. Hagrid patted her on the back, causing her to cough up even more water, and she Sat on the green, watching Hagrid calm down the Hippocampi. Ok, so this class had been disasterous, and she still hadn't seen Harry, which was probably a good thing, if he hadn't seen her.   
  
"Hey, are you alright?" it was Harry, no such luck.  
  
"Yes, I am fine. I just fell in." she said, shivering.  
  
"I'm sorry you fell, what were you doing up there anyway?"  
  
"I was…feeding them." She said, averting her eyes.  
  
"Feeding them?" Harry chuckled with glee, "You can't do that, silly. There's special ways of feeding them."  
  
"Yes, I had that much figured out." Her hair was wet, but had begun to dry in soft smooth waves. Harry couldn't help but think that Verlieren was kind of pretty. He'd always liked the dark haired girls, and had attributed his kiss with Verlieren as the product of a night of fun and a little too much alcohol, but she seemed so…delicate…shivering be the tree, whose peeling bark was brushing against her smooth wet hair.   
  
"Yeah…."  
  
"Yeah." Verlieren looked at Harry, he didn't look like he thought she was stupid, but he looked concerned, and maybe a little bit amused about the whole thing. She was the only one who thought it was stupid. Well, of the tow of them at least. His face was so close to hers she wanted to reach out and pull him in, just kiss him, and get it over with. Just to touch him again, it seemed so elegant. But just as her hands began to make the trek to his face, Professor Hagrid yelled that it was time for them to be going to their next class. Something called Potions for them. 


End file.
